Feeding advice for bantams (one broody, one moulting)

[Scramble]

I've just let the chickens out to free range and they were digging in their favourite top border.

As I'm not well, off school and everything, my mum didn't want me out for too long and then she was going to watch the chooks.

I was just bending down by them when my mum goes, 'aw, look, a mouse'

first I look art the little mouse and go ' aw' it was a tiny little mouse.

 

But then I saw it's not right. It has tiny, and I mean really small even for a mouse, tiny eyes, and ears, and it was shaking like it was having some sort of fit, then it moved a bit and i thought it was fine and then it fell over itself and startes shaking uncomtrollably again!

I said to my mum ' it's not right'

I chased the girls away from it and we moved it to a dry border as it might be cold.

 

Are there any mice/rat/hamster owners?

Ijust don't know what to do it's still shaking madly and it barely moves a few inches before it stops and shakes again.

 

I don't know if there's anything I can do, I just need to do something, it's not right and I don't want it to suffer.

 

All thoughts appreciated

x

Edited September 17, 2008 by Guest

[Christian]

Bring it inside and put it in a box lined with shredded paper/kitchen roll and try and keep it warm.

 

It doesn't sound right does it?

 

Poor little thing.

 

Sound like a field mouse to me. They are tiny.

[Scramble]

Thanks I'll try it.

x

[craftyhunnypie]

maybe put a hot water bottle under a towel for it to snuggle into? Aw poor little thing.

 

Emma.x

[WitchHazel]

The kindest thing to do would be to put it out of its misery, quickly and painlessly.

 

I've had to do this when my cats catch thing. The first time I did it I cried buckets - mainly because I was dithering and finding it difficult to do, and I was upset because of my hesitation in doing the deed, and the fact this hesitation was prolonging the poor mouses suffering.

 

The easiest way is to get a garden spade, the sort with a straight edge. Put the mouse on the ground, then aim the blade of the spade (the sharp bit, not the flat bit) at the mouses neck. One gentle tap willd o the deed. You don't need to decapitate the mouse, the tap will break its neck and stop its suffering immediately.

 

Apologies if describing it upsets anyone. I had to phone my husband the first time and get him to tell me what to do, and at least I know it was painless for the mouse.

[Scramble]

Sorry Witch Hazel, I just couldn't do that.

 

I've done what Christian said.

 

 

I've put it in a plastic tub, no lid, lined it with wood shaving and put some bird seed in there. It's stopped shaking as much as when it was outside, so that's a good thing.

I've put him in the consevatory which is warm, although you may not think it, it reatains it's heat as it has the tumble dryer in there.

It seems okay now, not shaking as much moving more easily, but slowly.

 

Even if it dies, I know I tried.

 

Thank you all.

x

[jlo]

You are so kind Scramble. I hope that it does recover. I am almost sure that Witch Hazel was correct but I don't think that I could do it either!

[Scramble]

Thanks everyone.

 

 

 

I've wrapped a towel around another plastic box and put the box with the vole/mouse in, in that.

Put a little box with more wood chips if it wants to tunnel a bit and a little very soft blanket on the vole.

 

I don't know if that's what I should have done, but he seems okay now.

I say he, I haven't actually looked

 

Thanks again,

 

x

[HENthusiastic]

Hows your little friend getting on?

[KimmyCustard]

Poor little sausage! Brother is a butcher and can do 'the deed' without worrying but I just couldnt either! Brother sorted a fox out once, it was by the road after he hit it in his lorry. He couldnt bear to leave it so helped it along. Glad he did really, hate it when animals suffer.

 

Has the wee one burrowed in his new house? Mice can jump REALLY high so be careful he doesnt leap out and disappear!

 

Kimmy

x

[buffie]

If he/she is ok this morning how about checking if you have a wildlife rescue near by, they some times can collect. Local vets will also take in wildlife, even if it's sadly to put them to sleep.

 

Well done with your efforts

 

Buffie x

[Louise]

It looks like a young vole

 

I don't think it is old enough to survive on its own personally I would put it out of its misery

[MedusA]

If he/she is still alive, I would go for the animal rescue place idea. At least you've done your best for it then. If they feel it can't survive, they can do the deed. I know I couldn't.

 

*fingers crossed* it makes it.

[Scramble]

Sorry guys.

 

I also found it was a little girl.

 

Thanks a lot for that idea buffie, but 'she' died in her sleep last night.

 

She'd stopped shaking madly and was moving normally and even snuggled under her blanket.

But she didn't wake up this morning.

 

I talked to her and stroked her gently with my finger, i washed my hands after.

 

She didn't stir.

 

We laid her to rest in a lovely field at the end of my garden.

She would have liked it, it's over grown with lots of wild flowers and insects.

 

The saddest thing is just as I saw her this morning another little vole was running inbetween the plantpots by our consevatory door. That was how a vole was meant to move, not how our poor little angel did.

 

I know some people won't approve of what I did and some will just think I prolonged her misery, but she was getting better.

 

I guess she just couldn't manage it.

 

Thanks for all your support.

 

 

x

[Cate in NZ]

I'm so sorry to hear that she didn't make it, but well done you for doing your best to make her comfortable. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Poor little thing

[mot336]

Sorry to hear she did't make it, after all your efforts too! At least she was warm and cosy! Well done for trying.

[laurmurf]

Dear Scramble,

you did your very best by that wee soul - feel proud of yourself!

 

We have done exactly the same thing in the past, and will do in the future. Sometimes it works a treat and we can release our charge back to the wild and sometimes it doesn't .

 

What I'm not is a vet, so I can never tell whether it's a mortal injury or one that just needs some treatment for shock (warmth, quiet, food and water in a safe environment).

 

Well done - you are obviously a good friend to wildlife as well as your chooky-girls!

[HENthusiastic]

There is no right and wrong in most situations. We all have to judge each situation and do what we feel is the best thing to do. You made your decision and did all you could to help. Well done for making her last few moments warm and comfortable. She will be running around in voley heaven now, having a grand time.

[lisa33]

Sorry she didn't make.

 

You did the best you could though.

[Mrs Frugal]

You did what you could for her, Scramble, and at least she died warm and comfortable and not out in the open somewhere. Good for you for doing all you could to help her in her last hours and I'm sorry she didn't make it .

[Redwing]

I am sorry

 

At least you did your very best x

[tweecy]

Well done Scramble for having the kindness to try. If you'd left her in the wild she would probably have had a worse fate, at least her end was peaceful, and you'd done your very best - that's all any of us can do. Your Mum must be very proud of you.

[missuscluck]

Oh dear. You did your very beat.

[MedusA]

Sorry she didn't make it, Scramble.

 

You did your best and gave her a lovely sending off. *hugs*

[craftyhunnypie]

Scramble, I would have done the same as you. Sorry to hear that you had such a short time with your tiny friend.

 

Emma.x